West Allotment Celtic vs Birtley Town

Recap

Birtley made a great start to October’s fixtures with a convincing 4-0 away win at West Allotment Celtic, our first three points in seven games.

After a disappointing September results-wise where, despite the effort and attitude, we failed to win any of our six games (D3, L3), we started with a bang up Morpeth securing our first three points in seven games and a welcome clean sheet, the first since our win by the same scoreline against Horden some eleven games ago.

Returning to the squad after injuries were the quartet of Charlie Armin, Nick Marley, Reece Harrison and Liam Thear. Harrison and Thear returned to the starting XI while the other two made the bench alongside recent recruit Reece Havelock-Brown who joined from Whickham in time to be added to the matchday squad.

An early chance for the hosts fell in the opening minute of the game with Keros Lizinde finding space down the left hand side. He took the ball to the byline trying to cut it back to striker Alfa Djalo but a slight deflection from a Birtley defender took it away from him and the ball was cleared.

Up the other end, James Proctor forced Gladstone into a parried save at the back post which led to a corner and a Birtley throw high up the pitch. After ten minutes or so, a ball through the Birtley backline caught the defence asleep as an Allotment player lost his marker. Probably a foot too far in front of him though and the ball was claimed by Max Campbell.

The opening goal came in the 14th minute when a ball from the back by Owen Lancaster found Liam Thear, who always seemed to have two players around him throughout the match. He linked up with James Proctor who whipped a great ball into the box where it was met perfectly by a header from Reece Harrison to break the deadlock.

Just before the half-hour mark, Dale Burrell was booked for a foul on former Birtley player Alfa Djalo with the 25-yard free kick from another former Birtley man, Tom McIntyre being sent wide of the near post. Djalo and Burrell were in the thick of it again soon after with the West Allotment man getting himself just ahead of the Birtley defender, getting himself into the box where Max Campbell spread himself well to block the strikers shot. Goalkeeper and defender then combined well to deny Djalo from the rebound.

A further free kick, this one from a good position, slap bang in the middle of the D, hit the wall with the follow-up from Mitchell straight at Campbell. At the other end in the 44th minute, Campbell’s long clearance took one bounce in the Allotment half. It found Liam Thear whose idea to chip the ball over the advancing Gladstone wasn’t executed well enough and it was safely claimed. 

In first-half injury time, Birtley grabbed a second goal through Matty Ward after another delightful cross from James Proctor, a carbon copy of his assist for the first goal.

HALF TIME | WEST ALLOTMENT CELTIC 0-2 BIRTLEY TOWN

Chances for West Allotment came in the opening quarter of the second half. A good opportunity from McIntyre twelve yards out was fired over the bar and then a similar free kick as in the first half on the edge of D was smashed straight at Campbell by Tom Potter with the young keeper doing well to parry it away.

James Proctor was booked for a challenge on Lizinde in the 55th minute with the home players appealing for a red card with the protests being waved away by the referee. Before play could continue, Liam Thear was replaced by Nick Marley for his return from injury. A minute later Reece Havelock-Brown made his Birtley bow replacing Kaleb Young in midfield. He was in the thick of the action less than a minute later when his namesake Reece Harrison slid an inviting ball across the box where the new recruits’ effort struck the inside of the post and was cleared.

Matty Ward grabbed his second goal of the game in the 61st minute when he latched on to a great ball over the top from Harrison. He outmuscled Luke Grant to create himself a bit of space, twisting and turning the defender before sliding the ball past Gladstone and into the bottom corner to cap off a fine passage of play.

Wardy turned provider in the 71st minute, sliding Marley in. All it would have taken was a little dink over the keeper who was closing down quickly and blocked well with his feet to deny the big man. Wardy’s game was over a minute later as he was replaced by Callum Smith.

Marley didn’t let his earlier chance go to waste as within six minutes, he’d bagged Birtley’s fourth of the game. A great ball over the top from Lewis Exley found Harrison down the wing. Quickly surrounded by three Allotment players, he saw an opportunity to slide the ball across the 18-yard box to Marley who made no mistake this time, slotting the ball past Gladstone at his near post.

A further chance for Big Nick fell in the 85th minute. A poor back pass was intercepted on the edge of the box by the Birtley striker with Gladstone getting down well to parry the ball and claim the rebound too.

FULL TIME | WEST ALLOTMENT CELTIC 0-4 BIRTLEY TOWN

A fantastic display from The Hoops who thwarted early Allotment threats in the opening quarter before stepping it up a gear to take control of the game. A very welcome three points sees us climb five places to thirteenth in the table and a first clean sheet in eleven games too.

Attendance: 92
MOTM: Max Campbell – the young shot-stopper pulled off a number of good saves to ensure he kept his clean sheet.

UP NEXT
We now turn our attentions to Tuesday night’s cup tie when we take on neighbours Chester-le-Street Town in the first round of the Durham Challenge Cup. Affectionately known as the “Morrisons Derby”, and with it only being along the road, we’d love to see as many of you there supporting the lads as possible. The postcode for Moor Park is DH2 3BX.

H2H vs West Allotment Celtic (at West Allotment)
P7 W2 D1 L4 GF9 GA14